The Georgia Gwinnett women's soccer team's 2016 season came to an end in dramatic fashion on Friday as the top-seeded Grizzlies were edged by fourth-seeded Rochester (Mich.) in penalty shots 5-3.

The match ended with a 1-1 draw after 110 minutes of play, forcing a penalty kick shootout to decide which team would advance to the A.I.I. Conference Championship match.



Georgia Gwinnett (10-7-2) struck first in the fourth minute of the match as senior forward Nikki LeFevre scored her 34th and final goal in a Grizzly uniform to give GGC the 1-0 edge.  A corner kick by Bristol Countess was headed down by Dominique Fletcher to LeFevre as she ripped a right-footed shot into the lower left corner of the net.

In the 23rd minute, the Warriors responded with an equalizer by Ashlin Taylor. Taylor settled a cross from Christy Routheaux and pushed a right-footed shot to the lower right-hand corner of the net.

While the Grizzlies outshot Rochester 8-1 in the second half, the match ended in a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes of regulation play and two 10-minute overtime periods.

The Grizzlies went toe-to-toe with the Warriors in their first three penalty shot attempts as LeFevre, Samantha Buchanan, and Caitlin Berry netted their attempts.  Rochester made its fourth shot while GGC missed wide left on its fourth attempt, opening the door for the Warriors.  Rochester's Ashley Miles propelled the Warriors into the championship match as the freshman netted the fifth penalty kick attempt for the win.

"I'm gutted for our seniors who worked so hard to earn the top-seed and gave us this opportunity to compete," stated GGC head coach Chris Kouns.  "Soccer can be an unkind game.  Although we outshot Rochester 21-5 and had seven corners compared to their three, the possessions and opportunities we had during regulation cannot and did not earn us the opportunity to move forward.  After we move past the pain from today's loss, I am looking forward to seeing the returning members of our team rededicate themselves to taking care of the small details which made an impact on today's outcome."

Rochester (8-7-4) advances to the A.I.I. Championship match where it will face the winner of Central Christian (Kan.) and host, Johnson & Wales (Co.) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. Eastern.

Photo Gallery

Scoring Summary
03:53 – (GGC) Nikki LeFevre, assisted by Dominique Fletcher
22:19 – (RC) Ashlin Taylor, assisted by Christy Routheaux

By the Numbers
1 – Goals scored by GGC against Rochester
10 – Shots landing on goal for GGC
21 – Number of shots taken by the Grizzlies
26 – Combined shots taken in the match by GGC and Rochester
50 – Goals scored by the Grizzlies in the 2016

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